Forgivable Sins (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 2)

"You're done waiting?" I asked.

"I have waited my entire life to have you. I'm done. Just done pretending that I'm patient. Done pretending like I can wait for you to come around to where I am in this marriage." A sequence of more splashes sounded, and I looked at the packet to find it empty. There hadn't been many pills left, admittedly, but it still seemed jarring. He'd even shoved out the placebos, as if they were an affront to him too. He tossed the empty packet into the trash and flushed the toilet before stalking toward me. I backed away until the back of my knees hit the bed and he hoisted me up and onto it. Looming over me, he grabbed my knees and spread them wide so that he could come down between them. "I'm putting a baby in your belly."

"We—I," I paused, trying to gather my thoughts as my brain raced to keep up with him. "There are things we should talk about before we take that step."

"Nope. The answers won't change anything. You want to work; we'll figure it out. You want to stay home; I'll support that choice fully. All that matters is that I love you, and we're having a baby. Did you think I'd see you hold Luna and do anything but make it so I could see you hold our baby like that? It drove me fucking mad to think you'd make me wait."

"And if I don't want a baby?" I whispered, but even I could feel the smile on my face. It took some of the bite out of my words undoubtedly, because Lino gave me a mischievous grin and darted his head down to lick my nipple playfully.

"I think I can convince you." Those lips wrapped around it, sucking hard enough that my back bowed.

"Okay," I gasped. "Convince me then."

His eyes danced as he released me and brought his mouth down on mine for a deep kiss.

Then he set out to convince me.

Forty-Two

Samara

Lino had convinced me. Thoroughly.

And if it were determined by the amount of sex two people could have in thirty-six hours, I'd be pregnant already.

So the phone ringing the next evening drew us out of our pleasurable little cave where we'd shut out the world. I never wanted to emerge. Never wanted to go back to work even th

ough I knew I would need to go in the morning. Taking a day and a half off unannounced hadn't been fair to Jasper, and I was sure he would be furious with me.

Or Lino.

Or both of us.

The way that Lino's body went solid as he listened to the person on the other side of the line made me tense up, but I tried to continue with my cool down stretches after yoga. "He did what?" Lino growled, and everything in me clenched at the sound. He'd turned me into an addict, if just the sound of his savage side made me horny despite the endless supply of orgasms.

"Right. I'll be right there." He stabbed the phone with a ferocity that made me nervous. "I have to go. I don't know when I'll be home." He turned for the stairs, heading up to the bedroom, and I followed him.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Connor went to another one of the loan sharks in the city to get more money. Enough to pay off his debt with Tiernan, but he didn't have enough property for collateral. The guy he went to has beef with the Bellandi's, so he offered up revenge on us in exchange for settling his debt." Lino swapped out his sweatpants for a fresh pair of slacks, tugging them up his legs and buttoning them at the waist quickly.

"Revenge how?" I swallowed, hating that my life and my decisions were coming down on Lino's head. I'd always known the end of my marriage would have consequences for him, I just hadn't expected to take down Matteo and Ivory with him, and I'd let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, he could protect himself against whatever damage Connor could do.

"He says he has information from the time he was married to you. Told the guy that your connection to me gave him insights that could take down the Bellandi's.” The breath whooshed out of me, and I staggered to sit on the edge of the bed.

"How is that possible? I don't know anything! It's not like I could ever even tell him—"

"I believe you, Little Dove. I've always kept you in the dark. There's nothing you could have told him that's incriminating, but that doesn't mean he didn't use the connection to dig. I don't know, and I won't know until I get there." His shirt slipped on over his shoulders, and he buttoned it up hurriedly. I stood and reached out to help him, rushing through the buttons even though I needed the connection it gave me. I needed to feel like I hadn't fucked up everything.

"How do you even know about this? If the guy has beef with the Bellandi's—"

"He wants to settle our shit. He said that we could use this to settle the score between us and go about our business separately. He doesn't believe that Connor will have the information he says he has, and I sincerely doubt it. He's just exploiting the fact that everyone knows you're mine now. But he told Connor he'd think about it, we'll meet and discuss terms to get him to help us bring Connor in."

"Okay," I breathed, nodding my head and reminding myself that this was part of what I'd signed up for. I knew Lino worked late nights sometimes. I knew he had to come and go at the demands of the family often.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Crew is on duty tonight, so he'll be available if you need anything. Don't leave the house. Order in whatever you want for dinner."

My heart ached as he slid the suit jacket up his shoulders and tugged on shoes. I wanted to hug him, wanted to thank him for the fact that even as he prepared to walk out the door and deal with a mess I'd caused, he still worried about me and my safety first.